First-order desires and Second-order volitions... based on Harry Frankfurt's "Freedom of the Will and Concept of a person".... i'm really proud of this paper, but the teacher only gave a B T_T

Christopher Sipe 05/08/04 Philosophy 101 Prof. M. Gligarov First-order Desires and Second-order Volitions <Tab/>In his Freedom of Will and Concept of a Person, Harry Frankfurt asserts that the common philosophical approach to the concept of a person is wrong, as it interferes with his own perception. Frankfurt mentions Strawson's definition: "the concept of a type of entity such that both predicates ascribing states of consciousness and predicates ascribing corporeal characteristics . . . are equally …

…addict has freedom of will because he has a volition of the second order. However, there is some wisdom in the saying "Ignorance is bliss." Because the creature who is the wanton addict has no second-order volitions, he is ignorant of what the drug may be doing to his body and therefore has no care as to what first-order desire is paramount. Furthermore, the wanton addict no longer has a conflict between his first-order desires.